וְיָֽדְעוּ֙ כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י מִצְרַ֔יִם כִּ֖י אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֑ה יַ֧עַן הֱיֹותָ֛ם מִשְׁעֶ֥נֶת קָנֶ֖ה לְבֵ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
And all the inhabitants of Mitsrayim shall know that I am YHWH, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Yisraʾel.
Morphology
- וְיָדְעוּ (ve-yadʿu) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person common plural; Translation: “And they shall know”; Notes: The waw-consecutive gives the sense of a future result—knowledge through divine judgment.
- כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי (kol-yoshvei) – Root: ישׁב (yashav); Form: Noun masculine singular construct “all” + Qal participle masculine plural construct; Translation: “all the inhabitants of”; Notes: Construct chain linking “all” with “inhabitants.”
- מִצְרַיִם (Mitsrayim) – Root: מצרים (Mitsrayim); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Mitsrayim”; Notes: Refers to Egypt, the dual form representing Upper and Lower Egypt.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “that” or “because”; Notes: Introduces the reason for the recognition of YHWH.
- אֲנִי (ani) – Root: —; Form: Independent pronoun 1st person common singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic pronoun, underscoring YHWH’s self-revelation.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (hvh); Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenantal name of God, revealed as the source of power and justice.
- יַעַן (yaʿan) – Root: יען (yaʿan); Form: Preposition; Translation: “because”; Notes: Introduces the reason for divine action or judgment.
- הֱיֹותָם (heyotam) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Infinitive construct with 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “their being” or “because they were”; Notes: Expresses the state or condition that triggered judgment.
- מִשְׁעֶנֶת (mishʿenet) – Root: שׁען (shaʿan); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “staff” or “support”; Notes: Figurative of unreliable dependence—Egypt as a false support to Yisraʾel.
- קָנֶה (qaneh) – Root: קנה (qaneh); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “reed”; Notes: Symbol of fragility; a reed staff breaks when leaned upon, injuring the one who trusts it.
- לְבֵית (le-veit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “to the house of”; Notes: Introduces the beneficiary or object of reliance—Yisraʾel.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the covenant people who sought support from Mitsrayim instead of trusting YHWH.